No-knead foccacia

This seems to be a thing with foccacia, it needs a lot of proofing time but no kneading is required and you have a very floppy dough.

Sources: 

Marion Grasby: uses semolina as a starter: I used bread flour because she said it can be substituted and I have leftover bread flour. Bakes at 230 deg C.

SBS: proofing over several nights. Bakes at 200 deg C. Shorter resting time on the day of 10 minutes after shaping the dough.

Ingredients

¼ C semolina (I used bread flour)

½ tsp instant dry yeast

80 ml water

3 C flour (plain or bread; I used 2C bread + 1C plain)

1 tsp salt

320ml water

2 tbsp virgin olive oil

Optional toppings e.g., sea salt, herbs, chopped olives, sun dread tomatoes

1 tbsp water + 1 tbsp oil

Method

1. Prepare the yeast starter. Add the ¼C flour to the yeast and 80ml warn mater. Mix, then cover and allow to proof for 1 hour.

2. In a big bowl, add the flour and salt, and make a well in the centre. Pour in the starter, water, oil. Using a spatula to mix. The dough will be very sticky and sloppy but not like a batter.

3. Drizzle with oil. Cover and leave to proof overnight. (Fridge is not mentioned)

4. Tuck in the edges of the dough.

5. Prepare a 20 by 30 cm tin. Line with oil and then parchment. Pour out the dough and push the dough to the edges of the tin with your lightly oiled fingers. 

6. Leave to proof for 1 hour, covered. Once in a while, push the dough to the edges of the tin.

7. After proofing, prepare 1 tbsp water and 1 tbsp oil and mix well. Drizzle on top. Use fingers to leave indentations in the dough. Top with whatever topping used.

8. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 230 deg C for 15 to 20 minutes until golden on top.

Recipe feedback:

I now understand why Marion wrote 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp water and to drizzle that on top before adding the topping. I was overly generous by drizzling on 2 tbsp of the sundried tomato oil, and that made it hard to bake becauese the dough couldn't rise and 'dry' up to bake. Instead of spending up to 20 minutes in a 230 deg C oven, I spent close to 30 minutes and the centre (where the oil pooled) was still a bit doughey even though the toppings of sun dried tomatoes had dried to a crisp and the olives had burnt!

Baked Cherry cheesecake

Preparing for a party, I thought about resurrecting my favourite Nigella's no bake blueberry cheesecake. It involves 2 packets of cream cheese, an 8" pan, and a bottle of Dalfour's blueberry jam. I came across RecipeTinEats' baked Strawberry Cheesecake which is very similar except that it's baked and uses sour cream rather than whipping cream. The most difficult part is probably making the berry sauce which is optional. I used a package of frozen cherries which I had in the freezer so presentation-wise, it'll be less pretty than using fresh fruit but the effect is the same.

Ingredients for base

200g sweet biscuits (I used malt biscuits which in a 220g packet; this includes enough crust to go up the side of the tin)

120g butter, melted (I used 150g because I had 220g biscuits)

Method for base

1. Prepare the 8" springform tin. Turn the base upside down so that there's no lip. Add the parchment and clip the base. Butter the sides of the tin and line with parchment.

2. Crush the biscuits in a food processor. Alternatively, use a ziplock and bash away.

3. Once there is a fine crumb, drizzle in the melted butter. It should resemble sand.

4. Pour into the prepared tin. Use a spatula to press down. Using a glass or measuring cup, press down firmly on the base and against the wall of the tin. The crumb mixture should go up ¾ of the wall of the tin.

5. Cover and leave the base in the fridge to harden slightly.

Ingredients for filling

500g cream cheese (2 packs of Philly), room temp

2 tbsp plain four

1 tsp vanilla extract

½C sour cream

1½C caster sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

Method for filling

1. Beat cream cheese until smooth, 20s on Speed 4. (Don't introduce air otherwise the surface will crack)

2. Add flour, beat for 5 seconds at Speed 4.

3. Add extract, sour cream, sugar, zest; 10s on Speed 5.

4. Add eggs one at a time, no more than 5s each on Speed 5. Beat until eggs are just blended.

5. Pour into prepared base. 

6. Bake in a pre-heated oven 150 deg C in fan forced (convection but no top and bottom grills) for 55 minutes until the top is just set. The sides will be set but the centre will have a slight wobble. 

7. Turn off the oven but leave it inside for another 10 minutes, then open the door 20 cm and let it cool down for 30 minutes in the oven with door ajar. Take it out to totally cool down.

8. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Method for berry sauce

500g of a berry (strawberries, blueberries, etc. I used cherries which are in season; fresh or frozen)

2 tbsp water or lemon juice (depending on the sweetness of the fruit)

½ C sugar (can reduce but a few tbsp depending on sweetness of the fruit)

2 tsbp water for slurry

1½ tsp corn starch for slurry

Method for sauce

1. Roughly cut up half the fruit and halve the other half of the fruit. If using frozen fruit, thaw them. It may be difficult to halve or cut the fruit without it falling apart so omit this step.

2. Pour the fruit and 2 tbsp of water into a saucepan. Pour in the sugar and mix.

3. Bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring to prevent the mixture burning at the bottom.

4. Make the slurry by mixing corn starch and water. Continue stirring the slurry. Stir the mixture and drizzle in the slurry. Once thickened, turn off the fire. Set aside to cool and the refrigerate. It will thicken up slightly once chilled in the fridge.

Assembly

Take out the chilled cheesecake. Pour the sauce on top. If the sauce is not of a pouring consistency, add just add a touch of water (½ tsp at a time) just to loosen it. It should dribble down the side but not drench it.

Feedback

- Turning the bottom upside down was fine except the butter melted and seeped out! Was not expecting that! Perhaps using digestives might have helped as they are more 'absorbent' than the malt biscuits I used.

- I found the sugar in the cherry sauce way too sweet! It was good for entertaining as people tend to like sweet desserts but not for home consumption. Might have to add, taste, then add more if needed next time.

HK Red Bean Bun

I have previously tried the tangzong red bean bun and also the an pan but neither were satisfactory. Both used a mix of bread and cake flour but felt really dense even though I used the dough hook on my food processor. This time I have my trusty KitchenAid and after my last dough disaster where the dough climbed up the hook, I decided I had to beat it!

This recipes uses full bread flour. Adapted from three different Christine's recipes because she writes things halfway and asks you to refer here and there. Making tangzong, ingredients from Matcha Green Bean Bun, and I adapted her method from Hokkaido Milk Toast Bread regarding proofing instructions and how to fold the bread.

Ingredients for tangzong (makes 240g tangzong which is enough for 2 loafs of 20.5*10.5cm loaf tin. However, I made the mistake of halving the proportions to get 120g tangzong as required but because a lot of the roux stuck to my non-stick pot, I got less than 120g roux in the end! Recommend to follow the full instructions and throw away the excess)

50g (⅓C) bread flour

250ml (½C) milk or water or 50-50

Tangzong method 

1. Add the milk to the flour slowly and use a wooden spoon to combine. Smooth out as many lumps as possible.

2. Put the mixture on the heat and bring slowly to a boil. The mixture will dry up. Continue cooking the roux until you see 'lines' in the roux when stirring.

3. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool slightly, the cover with cling film, ensuring the film touches the top to prevent a skin forming. Cool completely before using. Store the rest similarly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Throw once it turns grey.

Ingredients for Red bean bun

350g (2½C) bread flour

55g (3 tbsp + 2 tsp) caster sugar

5g salt (1 tsp)

1 large egg (more than 50g), beaten

7g milk powder (1 tbsp + 1 tsp, I omitted)

125ml milk (½C)

120 tangzong

6g yeast (2 tsp

30g butter, cubed and at room temp

1 tin (430g) red bean paste, refridgerated 

1 egg beaten, for glaze

2 to 3 tbsp sesame seeds (either black or white)

Method

1. In a KA mixer, pour in half of the flour and ⅓ of the milk. Add the salt and sugar, then beat at Speed 2.

2. Once these have come together, add more milk, half of the beaten egg, and a few tbsp of flour. Allow to mix. Continue alternating wet with dry until all used up and allow to beat for 5 minutes.

3. Once combined, add the yeast. Use your hand or a dough whisk to fold in the yeast. Use the KA at speed 3 and continue beating for 5 minutes.

4. Add the cubed butter, one cube at a time and allow each to beat into the dough before adding the next one. Once all are in, beat for 5 minutes at Speed 2.

5. Turn up to Speed 4 and beat until you reach the windowpane stage (approx another 15 to 20 minutes). Stop periodically to check because it can go from not yet ready to ready in a matter of minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky and glossy on the outisde.

6. Remove from the beater and oil the bowl. Form the dough into a ball and cover the bowl with film and a tea towel. Allow to proof for 40 minutes (28 deg C and 75% humidity) until doubled in size.

7. Divide dough into 12 potions (approx 51g each). Cover half of the balls with a damp towel. With each portion, roll with the palm of your hand into a ball until the surface is smooth. Then using the Asian rolling pin, flatten out into a 5 cm diameter circle with the edges thinner than the centre.

8. Use the 2.5 tbsp scoop and spoon out 30 to 35g of filling.

9. Seal the filling tightly, be sure to scrimp all the folds and turn seam down. Gently roll back into a ball to flatten the folds. Using both hands and a cupping motion, form a dome shape, the taller the better as it will sink and flatten when proofing.

10. Cover with cling firm and a damp tea towel and proof for 45 to 60 minutes (38 deg C at 75% humidity) until doubled in size. 

11. Pre-heat oven. Glaze the tops of each bun with the beaten egg.

12. Using the rounded end of the Asian rolling pin, dip in the egg then into the sesame seeds. 'Stamp' the seeds onto the top of each bun by slightly and gently rotating the pin so that the edges of the stamped circle are properly formed.

13. Bake at 160 deg C for 30 minutes or until golden brown. I swapped and rotated the trays halfway.

Recipe feedback

So unusual! Because I used bread flour, it came out crusty straight from the oven (like crusty bread). It softened slightly the next day but was still not like normal white bread. More like French crusty loaf?

Custard creamed corn bao

Quite disappointed with this recipe but am unsure cos there are too many new variables. First of all, the this is a new recipe and looks really simple - 7 minutes kneading, 7 minutes resting, and only proving 20 minutes. It was meant to solve all my past issues with ugly looking bao that are lop sided and have wrinkly skin. Second, my dough was a bit wetter than intended, which made handling the bao and sealing up the filling really difficult. Third, I follow the recipe and used the microwave to make the custard, but perhaps because I'm using a different brand and doubling the portions, it came out really lumpy. Next time I'll go back to using the stove even though it may be more work. Fourth, I used my new bamboo steamer so I'm wondering if that affected? I had my metal steamer side by side and also following the instructions, started steaming from cold so that affected all the timing and made it dry out yet uncooked inside. Comparing the bao from the metal to the bamboo steamer, the metal steamer seemed to keep the moisture in better and also there was more lift. Fifth, I doubled all the portions so perhaps it is still my fault in the end!

I might not try the recipe again for the bao dough but stick to the red bean bao dough recipe.

Recipe adapted from: https://mykitchen101en.com/steamed-corn-custard-pao-chinese-steamed-bun/

Ingredients for custard filling (makes 10) (makes 19)

170ml milk (240ml)

3 tbsp custard powder (6 tbsp)

2½ tbsp sugar (5 tbsp)

90g cream style corn (180g)

1 slice cheddar (2 slices)

Method 

1. Combine the sugar, milk, custard powder in a pot on the stove. Bring to a boil and stir until smooth. Remove from stove. (Original recipe uses microwave, 1min 30seconds at 1000w)

2. Pass through a sieve to get rid of lumps.

3. Add the cream corn and stir until combined.

4. Cut up the sliced cheddar and stir until combined.

5. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Cover with cling film, ensuring that the film touches the surface of the custard so that it doesn't form a skin. Leave in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.

Ingredients for bao (upsized to 500g)

280g (2¼ + 4 tbsp) bao flour (500g)

20g (2½ tbsp) cornstarch (5 tbsp)

1 tsp instant yeast (2 tsp)

65g (⅓C) fine sugar (less 2x at 120g)

200ml milk (350 to 400ml)

20g (1½ tbsp) veg oil (3 tbsp)

pinch of salt

Method

1. Combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, and sugar and stir well. Add the yeast and stir.

2. Gradually pour the milk until a dough is formed. Do not use up all of the milk but only until the dough just comes together with a few dry spots.

3. Pour in the oil and knead until blended. If there are still dry spots, add as much milk as needed to moisten the spots

4. Knead for 6 to 7 minutes until the dough is shiny and smooth and no longer sticky. 

5. Cover and rest for 6-7 minutes.

6. Roll out the dough into a rectangle and fold into thirds. Roll out again and then roll up into a cyclinder.

7. Cut into 10 portions. Cover half of the dough.

8. Roll into a circle with a thicker centre. Fill with 1½ tbsp filling. Seal proper so that the filling doesn't leak out. Put on prepared parchment (Original recipe uses flattened muffin cases)

9. Prove for 20 minutes. (Original recipe has a complicated method of bringing to a boil 500ml of water, then adding 1 l of water and putting the steaming basket on top). Try to prevent over-proofing otherwise the skin will wrinkle after steaming.

10. Steam on medium heat for 15 minutes, then turn off the flame and let it rest for 3 minutes before removing.

Recipe feedback

Comparing this recipe with my red bean bao which also used 500g of bao flour, this recipe used only 2 tsp of yeast (so only 1 proofing) compared to the 2 tbsp yeast (Edit: this sld be 2.5 tsp) and the nearly 1 hour of total proofing time for the red bean bao. While the red bean had a wrinkly skin, the bao was fluffier than my corn bao, but still not as fluffy as seen in the corn bao video.

Aside from being very dense, the dough still tastes a bit raw and the taste of the oil is very strong. This recipe didn't work probably mostly because of the short or negligible proofing time and insufficient kneading. 

I learnt from China Sichuan's char siu bao recipe that has more sugar, liquid, and yeast that uses a single proofing method (like Kitchen101 here) because it saves time and leads to more fluffy and less chewy buns. This differs from her red bean buns which proofs for 1 hour. 

Single proofing method

- Her mantou recipe says to obtain a smooth surface, buns have to be well kneaded, not over-proofed, and controlled fire which differs between steel and bamboo. 

- The second 'proofing' (after shaping) for 10 to 20 minutes until it slightly puffs up is actually just resting the gluten rather than proofing. The steaming water should start from cold and then rapidly brought to a boil on high heat. Start the count and turn down to medium flame only when you the steam escaping. The cooking time after from this point can take 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the buns and filling. 

- Bamboo steamer has to be on medium fire but steel has to be high fire all the time and cooking time for bamboo steamer has to be longer ie between 25 to 30 mins (including bringing to a boil). 

- The single proofing method requires a longer cooking time so that it can puff up. I made the mistake of turning down both steel and bamboo down to medium fire and assuming it's 15 mins for everybody. No wonder my buns from the steel steamer came out better cooked than the bamboo which was undercooked. I might also need to switch the steamer baskets around halfway. Kitchen101 used a bamboo steamer but her timings and single proofing method don't work for me!